The Little Eagle
by Prince Arjuna
Summary: Louise the Zero manages to summon a familiar, but instead of a proper familiar, she gets a strange man in white hood. A familiar reflects the master's talent, so what's the meaning of this? DISCONTINUED
1. Prologue: Leap of Faith

**The Little Eagle**

A Familiar of Zero & Assassin's Creed Crossover

Disclaimer: Nothing is true; everything is permitted, but still, I do not own both Familiar of Zero and Assassin's Creed or anything that is related to any or both of them. Even so, sit back, relax and enjoy the story.

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><p>"<em>Nothing is true; everything is permitted."<em>

**Prologue: Leap of Faith**

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><p>I know I can do it…<p>

Because he could do it, why couldn't I?

Standing at the balcony, I was looking at two people who were battling each other. One of them was my familiar, a man clad in white, armed with a sword and a pair of hidden blades below his wrists. As for his opponent, I couldn't see her clearly but I was sure his opponent was a female. My familiar charged towards his opponent into close distance due to him unable to use magic like many others while his opponent tried to keep their distance so she could throw barrages of her magical projectiles towards him.

For a moment, I considered aiding him as I pulled out my wand from my cloak so I could obliterate his opponent with a blast, but then, I discarded the decision as I took out my wand before I put it on the floor. I believed in my familiar's capability and I wanted him to believe in me too.

I stood at the edge of the balcony before I looked down, staring into a depth abyss. I gulped. I had to wonder what would happen to me if I jump down. I might end up crushed by the impact, or if I could make it alive, I might lose a limb or two.

I couldn't help but to tremble while thinking about the possible outcomes of what I would be doing, but I should do it, because my familiar believed in me. I saw him doing this a couple of time before, and emerged unharmed. If he could do that, why couldn't I? If he was an eagle, what would I be?

Closing my eyes, I took a deep breath. The midnight air nearly suffocated me, but at least it helped me to keep myself together. Of course I fear death, and I knew he was too, but it wasn't a reason for me to avoid facing it. He faced death on daily basis, so why shouldn't I at least put my life at stake this time?

I spread my arms, feeling the gentle wind of midnight. It was soothing and gentle; cold and warm at the same time. It reminded me of Sister Cattleya's arms. It embraced me, stroking me gently, giving me a reassurance that everything would be alright at the end. I don't know whether it's just me or not, but I felt a little better. At least I wouldn't regret this decision.

I knew this was a part of his plan, Ezio Auditore da Firenze's plan. I wouldn't mind to be a part of his cunning, clever trick. After all, like what he always said to me…

Nothing is true; everything is permitted.

Steeling my heart, I jumped, putting my entire trust and faith into this man, my familiar.

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><p>I know she can do it.<p>

Because I could do it, why couldn't she?

I was doing my best preventing this person, my opponent, a truly dangerous lady from reaching her, my master, the one who had forged a contract with me. Her power was very terrifying and I should keep our close distance so I could prevent her from using that power onto me. I could feel my runes glowing beneath my gauntlet, providing me strength to battle this fearsome opponent.

I glanced at my master's face. I could see hesitation and fear. She was trembling and her beautiful eyes were moist. It couldn't be helped since my master was just a small, fragile little lady who couldn't do most things right. Being called 'Zero' wasn't helping her either.

But I assured her earlier, telling her to believe in me. Even though there's no guarantee that she could survive this, I told her that she would be fine. I knew she could do it because she had grown stronger than before, stronger than the time she first summoned me to be her familiar. Even though I still couldn't understand the concept of magic in this world, I knew she was unique at the moment I first saw her.

At her moment of hesitation, she pulled out her wand before she put it on the floor.

I smirked.

She turned herself to the edge of the balcony, preparing herself to perform what I always did before; a leap of Faith. I could still sense her fear, but I knew she was ready to face anything, even death. I couldn't help but to feel proud to see her growing into this fine lady. In my world, she could make a perfect wife.

Or maybe a good Assassin too, just saying.

I knew this was a gamble and she was betting her life into it. It was uncertain for her to get herself out from this mess alive. She might end up dead, or if she got lucky, she might lose a hand or leg, or maybe both after jumping. But she wasn't the only one gambling because I was the one who planned for this. I had prepared something for this kind of situation.

Just like the Creeds of our Brotherhood...

Nothing is true; everything is permitted.

I had to admit that despite her fear, she, Louise Françoise le Blanc de la Vallière, was indeed a very brave little girl. She reminded me of my sister back home. To be brave, instead of having no fear, one should overcome his or her fear. She had overcome her fear, making her the bravest girl I'd ever seen in my life.

Spreading her arms, I saw her tiny back. She was no longer trembling. She was at peace, welcoming death with open arms. She was content and even though I couldn't see her face, I knew she had already accepted her mortality.

It would be good watching her without being attacked by my opponent.

And then, she jumped.

And a little eagle spread her wings, flying into the air of the dark midnight sky.

**To Be Continued**

Next Chapter: My Familiar an Assassin

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><p>Author's Note: Hello, this is my second attempt doing a Familiar of Zero's crossover and this time, this is a Familiar of Zero's crossover with Assassin's Creed. Instead of the common summoning scene, I use a prologue as the first chapter while I may write the summoning scene in the next chapter. And please be noted that I am not a native English speaker, so you may find mistakes here and there in this story. Sorry about that. You may inform me about any mistake you can find. Anyway, I hope you like this story and please read and review if you wish for it.<p>

Prince Arjuna (2011)

Nothing is true; everything is permitted.


	2. My Familiar an Assassin

**The Little Eagle**

A Familiar of Zero & Assassin's Creed Crossover

Disclaimer: Nothing is true; everything is permitted, but still, I do not own both Familiar of Zero and Assassin's Creed or anything that is related to any or both of them. Even so, sit back, relax and enjoy the story.

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><p>"<em>Nothing is true; everything is permitted."<em>

**My Familiar an Assassin**

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><p>It was a very unlucky day for the Grandmaster of the Assassin Order, Ezio Auditore da Firenze as he found himself surrounded by a large number of guards that belonged to his natural adversary, the Templars. Due to a slight miscalculation, he, along with some of his apprentices seemed to be in a deep trouble.<p>

Silently, Ezio chastised himself for his overconfidence which might endanger himself, his apprentices and by extension, the Brotherhood itself. He was accompanied by two of his apprentices. Even though he believed that they were capable to protect themselves from dangers, he doubted that they could get away from this mess unharmed.

Ezio pulled out his sword and his apprentices did the same. They knew they couldn't win against such numerous opponents, so they had to make a way to escape so they could regroup with other apprentices. As three of them drew their weapons, the guards immediately charged, attacking the Assassins.

Ezio let the two of his apprentices protect themselves while he protected himself from the attacking guards. Three guards charged simultaneously towards the assassin, but he already anticipated the attack as he dodged the attack of one of them before he used his sword to stab the guard's chest. The blade pierced through the guard's heart and emerged from his back, killing the guard instantly.

While Ezio stabbed the guard on his chest, the remaining guards attacked him from behind. Immediately, Ezio released his sword from his hands before two hidden blades emerged from below his wrists. The iconic weapon of the Assassins, the Hidden Blade, as the guards saw the weapon propped out from Ezio's wrist, they halted for a moment, giving the assassin a chance to attack.

Armed with his hidden blades, Ezio struck the nearest guard on the throat, instantly puncturing his windpipe. He pulled out the blade as quick as he stabbed into the guard on the throat so he wouldn't draw too much blood. Then Ezio turned to the other one before he launched himself towards the guard, stabbing him on the chest. Ezio placed his other hand on the guard's head before he used another hidden weapon in his arsenal.

A metal bullet punched through the guard's skull, killing him instantly. Ezio pulled back his hand. He couldn't help but to thank his friend, Leonardo for designing such a clever weapon for him. It wasn't his first time using his Hidden Gun, but every time he used it, it never failed to serve its purpose as an assassination tool.

Ezio could hear collective gasps from other guards as they saw him killing three of them without even breaking a sweat. Just seeing that, they should know that Ezio wasn't someone who should be trifled with. Even his apprentices were doing good, striking down any guard that came to attack them. Ezio smiled as he took out his sword from the chest of the dead guard he stabbed earlier.

The guards attacked and naturally, Ezio defended himself. Two Guards, the Brutes charged towards Ezio with their axes in hands. Fully dressed in heavy armors, they seemed confident that Ezio wouldn't be able to finish them off like the unfortunate three Ezio killed earlier, but they were definitely wrong as Ezio came to attack them.

The assassin pushed one Brute aside before he looked at the next one, delivering a kick between the Brute's legs. The heavily-armored guard winced in pain, dropping his axe to the ground. Ezio took this chance to pick the axe before he brought it up above his head, swinging it down onto the Brute's head, crushing his skull in the process.

Ezio kicked the dead guard to the ground before he tossed the bloodied axe aside. Then he looked at the Brute he pushed earlier who had already picked himself up from the ground. The Brute charged, attacking the assassin with his large axe but Ezio dodged it before he used his hidden blade to stab the exposed area of his body which wasn't protected by the armors. It happened that the exposed part was around the area of the guard's neck.

While he knew they were doing fine, they couldn't fight the guards forever. He could see some blood stains on the white hoods of his apprentices. They might get wounded by the enemies, so they should find a way out immediately.

"Retreat!" the Grandmaster shouted before he turned to one of the guards, kicking between his legs. Wincing, the guard lowered his body, making himself a perfect platform for Ezio to jump on. Ezio leaped, stepping on the guard as his platform before he leaped again to reach a nearby building. Ezio's apprentices noticed it before they moved to escape the guards. They followed their master to climb the building.

After reaching the top of the building, Ezio could get a better view on the city of Roma. But he got no time appreciating the beauty of the city as the guards continued to pursue them. Ezio immediately gave a signal to his apprentices to run. The apprentices nodded before three of them rushed to escape the pursuit.

Ezio and his apprentices were moving away from the guards, performing free running from one building to another. While the assassins moved from building to building without problem, the guards that were pursuing them couldn't catch up because they weren't trained to do the same as the assassins. As the pursuers finally vanished from sight, Ezio turned to his apprentices.

"We shall split up and regroup with other assassins," Ezio spoke. The apprentices nodded before they split up, going for different directions. Ezio took a deep breath before he jumped forward, reaching for a wooden beam so he could grab on it.

But, he miscalculated the distance and he was unable to reach the beam, thus falling down. Another mistake, he thought. As he fell down, suddenly he stopped. Not just him, but everything around him. Momentum, wind, all of them had stopped. While still in the air, he saw something glowing on the ground beneath him, something large and circular.

And then, everything went dark. He could see nothing other than himself and the glowing circle. After that, he felt like he began moving down as he heard voice calling for him.

The last thing he did before being completely sucked into the glowing circle was cursing his bad luck.

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><p>Louise Françoise le Blanc de la Vallière had decided that she would not fail, or rather, she should not fail. It was her only chance to prove herself in front of her peers who had been calling her 'Louise the Zero' due to her inability to use magic properly. She wanted to show other people that she was capable to summon a familiar spirit, a beautiful and strong familiar spirit to her side.<p>

Louise could see other students succeeding in summoning their familiars. Creatures like dragon, salamander, gryphon and many others could be seen but Louise decided to be the best among of them. She wished that she could summon a manticore, a magical beast with the body of a lion and a tail of a scorpion, just like her mother did. With that, she might be able to make her mother proud and redeem herself in front of other people.

With that, she would no longer be called a Zero.

When her name was called, Louise stepped forward, preparing to perform the summoning ritual. As she went for the ritual, she could hear the whispering voices of other students. They were expecting the pink-haired girl to fail in this ritual. If she could manage to summon a familiar spirit, they expected her to summon something insignificant and worthless like a butterfly or an earth worm, or the worst, a commoner. Predicting the girl would fail, other students were looking at her expectantly.

Louise ignored them as she began chanting, no, praying would be an appropriate term for it. She was nervous, fearing that she might screw up in this ritual. Gripping her wand tightly, she concentrated her magic into her wand before she waved it down and…

An explosion happened.

Louise coughed because of the smoke from the explosion. Other students couldn't see what in the world just happened, but they assumed that Louise failed to summon a familiar spirit. As the smoke subsided though, the other students began to see a silhouette of a man, a tall man.

Still coughing and wheezing, Louise could also saw the silhouette. As the smoke completely subsided, she could see a man. The man was tall and Louise felt puny as she stood in front of that man. The man dressed in white and bizarre attire with his head being obscured by his hood. Even so, Louise still could see the lower half of the man's face, which was bearded and scarred. She could see a variety of weapons on him; sword, daggers, knives and so on.

The man noticed the girl in front of him before he looked down. The man's appearance was intimidating and Louise was taken aback by the man's intimidating stature. Then the man looked around, looking at the students who were equally intimidated by his mere presence.

_"Dove sono?"_ the man spoke in foreign, strange language. Then he looked back at the pink-haired girl. He sounded confused.

Louise couldn't understand what the man was trying to tell her and it annoyed her. The man continued to speak nonsense and Louise wished he could stop talking. She decided to silence him using a spell she learned sometimes ago (which she never tried before).

"Can't you shut up for a while?" snapped Louise, firing something towards the strange man using her wand. Another explosion occurred and the man was thrown behind.

"Oww…" the man then picked himself up. He pulled back his hood, revealing his face. He scowled as he dusted himself. "That is painful," he said. "Really, what is that?" he looked at Louise.

Louise gasped as she pointed her finger at the man in white. "I-I can understand you!" she exclaimed. "W-wait, you're not supposed to talk! That spell earlier supposed to silence you!"

"Louise, I think you screwed up with that too," said a red-haired female student as she grinned. The girl, Kirche was standing beside her familiar, a salamander she just successfully summoned earlier.

The man looked at the pink-haired girl. The man looked old with his beard, but one still could see his youthfulness in his eyes. "Little miss…" he spoke in a pretty strange accent. "Are you the one who called me?" he asked.

Louise was surprised to hear that question from the man before she struggled to compose herself. Trying to look strong, she answered, "Y-yes, I'm the one who called you!" then she faltered. "But I never thought I would summon a human like you…" she said in embarrassment. While she succeeded in performing the summoning ritual, summoning a human being sure was strange. "Who are you?" she asked, cautiously looking at the man.

The man frowned before he stroked his bearded chin. "Very well…" he said, closing his eyes. "I am called Ezio Auditore da Firenze and I am an Assassin…" he introduced himself.

"A-assassin?" the pink-haired girl was surprised by that. She summoned an assassin? What in the world was happening?

"So, little miss…" Ezio said, lowering his body so he could look at the girl's face properly. "Who are you?"

Louise immediately stepped behind before she frantically said, "I-I am Louise Françoise le Blanc de la Vallière and I am the one who summoned you!" she tried her best to appear strong in front of the man and other students.

Ezio frowned. Last thing he remembered before he arrived at this place was being sucked into a glowing circle after escaping some Templar guards. He observed his surroundings and saw many young people around. All of them clad in uniforms, including the one who claimed to have summoned him. Then they were approached by a man.

"Well… Miss Vallière, it is indeed a surprise…" the man, Professor Colbert spoke to the girl. "While I have to admit that this is my first time seeing such thing," he looked at Ezio. "I mean, someone summoning a human being as a familiar, I think questions can wait later. Since you have successfully summoned a familiar, you should proceed to complete the contract between the two of you…" he said.

While Ezio was confused, Louise was blushing. Making a contract meant that she had to kiss this person. As a maiden, having a first kiss was one of the important stages of life, and she certainly didn't want to give her first kiss to a stranger who claimed to be an assassin. She considered protesting, but seeing Colbert's stern expression, Louise didn't have any choice.

"Alright…" Louise whimpered before she faced the assassin. She looked at Ezio's face for a moment before the assassin understood what she wanted him to do. He went down to his knees, kneeling in front of the pink-haired girl, making himself at the same level as the girl, if not shorter. Seeing that the assassin seemed to understand what she wanted, Louise raised her wand before she chanted. "My name is Louise Françoise le Blanc de la Vallière…" she began. "Pentagon of the Five Elemental Powers, bless this humble being, and make him my familiar…"

As the pink-haired girl chanted, she touched Ezio's forehead with her wand before she pulled her wand back and drew her face closer to Ezio's. As Louise's lips were an inch away from his, Ezio realized what the girl was trying to do, but he couldn't do anything as the girl's soft lips touched his.

It's not like he's not used to kiss women on the lips. In fact, he had spent much of his youth wooing girls but it was his first time being kissed by a girl who seemed to barely reach adulthood. Ezio knew that this girl was a teenager, but seeing her tiny frame made him think this girl had just reached puberty. He couldn't help but to feel dirty.

A second later, Louise pulled her head back. Her face was red. "It is done…" she said, trying to sound tough even though her face had turned red. Ezio frowned before he touched his lips. Then, Ezio smiled and Louise noticed it. "H-hey, what are you smiling for?" Louise asked indignantly.

"It is nothing, little miss…" Ezio replied, shaking his head. "It is just that you are pretty bold," he said, complimenting Louise's action. Then he stood up. "You are a brave little lady, Louise Françoise le Blanc de la Vallière…"

Suddenly, Ezio felt something strange. He felt like being scorched into flame. He gritted his teeth, trying to battle the pain as he smelled something. It was a smell of burning flesh which came from his left hand. Quickly, he took his gauntlet off and saw some runic symbols being inscribed on the back of his hand. The condition of his hand reminded him of the initiation ceremony of him joining the Assassin Order officially (he still got the mark on his ring finger to tell a tale about it).

Professor Colbert looked at the runes behind Ezio's left hand. "Hmm…" the professor stroked his chin. "These are very unusual runes," he commented. Then, the middle-aged man looked into Ezio's eyes, studying them.

Ezio couldn't help but to look into Colbert's eyes as well, noticing how similar those eyes to his. He could feel that this middle-aged mage seemed to be hiding something beneath such unassuming appearance. He considered activating his Eagle Vision to see how well this man could be trusted but then, he decided against it a moment later. Professor Colbert then turned behind, telling the other students to return to the building. Seconds later, only Ezio and Louise remained.

Then Louise went towards Ezio, showing him a serious expression.

"Follow me, familiar…" Louise spoke solemnly. "We need to talk."

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><p>"First of all, who are you?" Louise began as both of them arrived at her room. Louise was sitting on the bed while Ezio was standing motionlessly in front of the pink-haired girl.<p>

"Why, little miss?" Ezio asked. "Didn't I already tell you that?"

"Just answer my question!" Louise snapped.

Sighing, Ezio answered, "Like I said before, I am called Ezio Auditore da Firenze and I am the Grandmaster of Assassin Order," he answered. "Is that enough for you, little miss?"

Louise scowled. She didn't understand this Assassin's stuff or whatever that was. She studied Ezio's face carefully before she asked another question. "Are you a mage?"

Ezio just smiled before he shook his head. "No…" he answered.

"Then, are you a commoner?" Louise asked, narrowing her eyes.

"Not exactly," Ezio shrugged.

"So, you're a noble?" another question from Louise.

"Well, I used to be one," Ezio said, remembering his life as a carefree young man of the House of Auditore. His life then drastically changed after the execution of his father and brothers.

"But… how can you be a noble if you're not a mage?" Louise asked, sounding skeptical.

"This world works that way, huh?" Ezio stroked his beard sagely. "If you have no more question, then I will ask you something, little miss," Ezio said. "Considering that I am your familiar, how will you treat me after knowing that I am an assassin and also a noble?" he asked with a playful grin. Questions about anything else could wait later. This time, he was rather curious about this little girl who had boldly kissed him on his lips.

Louise seemed hesitant, biting her lip. She had no idea what she had to do. Lashing out her anger would give her nothing. After minutes of contemplating, Louise looked into Ezio's eyes with determined eyes. "Even so, you're still my familiar…" she answered.

"Interesting answer," Ezio commented. "Even though I still have many things to ask, let me play along for a bit," he said. "I, Ezio Auditore shall play my part as your familiar, Louise…" he said, kneeling in front of the pink-haired girl.

Louise stared at the assassin in disbelief before she crossed her arms, feeling superior. "T-then, as my familiar, you must follow every of my instructions!" she said with loud voice. "You're nothing more than just a servant, familiar!" she said before she let out a sigh. "Even so…" her voice faltered. "It still doesn't help me much…"

And things happened just fine. Ezio had no problem hearing Louise's naggings and following her orders, but of course he was a bit appalled when Louise first time undressing herself in front of him. While it wasn't his first time looking at a naked woman, to see someone so underdeveloped was a new experience for someone like Ezio. But then, he got used to it so quickly.

But still, Ezio couldn't forget his priority. He had to find out why in the world he ended up in this world. And to find out such thing, he had to do it Assassin-style.

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><p>"So this world has two moons, huh?" Ezio wondered aloud as he gazed up to the night sky, looking at the two moons. It was already night and he was standing on the tallest place of the academy. From what he had gathered, he was pulled into another world, Halkeginia. "A world where those who are capable to perform magic are the nobles of this place," he muttered before he looked below to see the view of the school. "And this place is called Tristain Academy of Magic…"<p>

While magic sounded a little absurd, Ezio still couldn't deny it. After all, he used to deal with something similar to this. At his world, he kept a Piece of Eden in his possession and the mysterious thing possessed such unimaginable power to the point he had to hide it from the Templars.

Ezio stood up before he prepared himself to jump. He still needed to search for more information about this unfamiliar world. He closed his eyes, feeling the air of the night before he made a leap, jumping down from the tower. A cart of hay cushioned his fall.

He was grateful that once again, his leap of his faith had been safely executed.

As he emerged from the pile of hay, he noticed someone. It was a girl with black hair, dressed in maid uniform, enjoying the peacefulness of the night alone on a bench. Ezio immediately jumped down from the cart and went towards the girl.

"Hello there, _signorita,"_ greeted Ezio. "A pleasant night, is it not?" he gazed up to the sky, looking at the two moons.

The maid girl noticed that Ezio was talking to her. "Ah… you're Miss Vallière's familiar, right?" she asked.

"Yes, that shall be me," Ezio nodded. "Ah, forgive me for not introducing myself first, little miss. My name is Ezio Auditore da Firenze," despite his age, Ezio still could make a charming smile. "And you,_ signorita?"_

"Ah, I-I'm sorry…" the girl bowed apologetically. "My name is Siesta and I work here, at the academy," she said. Then she looked around. "Pardon me to ask, but where did you come from? I didn't see you coming here a while ago," she said, seemingly bewildered on how Ezio could appear out of nowhere. Ezio just smiled before he sat beside Siesta.

"If you are asking that, little miss, I shall say that I came from above," Ezio replied, pointing at the tower. Siesta gasped as she covered her cute little mouth with her hands.

"I-isn't that a little dangerous?" Siesta asked, worried.

"Not at all, _signorita…"_ Ezio replied. "Well, if you don't mind, may I join you to enjoy the night as well?" he asked. Siesta blushed as she gazed down to her feet. "It would be a waste to enjoy such a lovely night alone…"

"I… I don't mind, Mr. Ezio…" Siesta replied shyly. Ezio smiled, knowing that he got another way to learn about this new world.

**To Be Continued**

Next Chapter: Hashashin

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><p>Author's Note: Finally, the second chapter is updated! Thanks for those who read and review this story, I am very grateful. I'll try my best to make an enjoyable read for all of you. One of my biggest problems about this story is Ezio himself. With little to no knowledge about Italian, it sure is difficult to make his dialogues. Well, I'll try my best for that too. And just like the previous chapter, please forgive me if you spot some mistakes. I'll try my best to fix it immediately. Last but not least, please read and review.<p>

Prince Arjuna (2011)

Nothing is true; everything is permitted.


	3. Hashashin

**The Little Eagle**

A Familiar of Zero & Assassin's Creed Crossover

Disclaimer: Nothing is true; everything is permitted, but still, I do not own both Familiar of Zero and Assassin's Creed or anything that is related to any or both of them. Even so, sit back, relax and enjoy.

* * *

><p>"<em>Nothing is true; everything is permitted."<em>

**Hashashin**

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><p>Three days had passed since Ezio had been summoned into Halkeginia as a familiar spirit of a certain pink-haired noble girl who seemed to have anger problem. He spent these three days serving Louise as her familiar, helping her in daily basis. Tasks like waking Louise up at the morning, helping her washing herself, dressing her and basically serving her as a servant weren't too hard for Ezio to do.<p>

Besides serving Louise, Ezio also went around the academy, doing researches and talking with many people. The kind maid girl, Siesta really helped him to understand many things like the distinction between nobility and commoners, the nations and magic. It was a new experience for the assassin. But, somehow he managed to adapt to his new surroundings very well. Being an assassin that was trained to blend seamlessly into the groups of people sure helped him to understand this new society.

Despite that, Ezio still needed to make some more researches about why was he summoned into this foreign realm in the first place. From what he heard, the mages usually summoned magical beasts as their familiars and having a human being as a familiar was virtually unheard. Then, he also got some strange rune marks on the back of his left hand, which seemed to symbolize Louise's ownership to him. But, every time Ezio held his weapon, from a small knife into his sword, those marks glowed.

The assassin also tried to look into his marks by using his Eagle Vision, only to find that the marks got its color constantly changing. Such thing never occurred before and he wished he could get a good explanation about this, but with limited sources and information, it seemed that it would take time to understand the meaning of the changing color of the runes on the back of his hand.

Besides, Ezio also managed to see the mages performing their spells, something that could only be achieved by the help of a Piece of Eden, but then, he thought that the Piece of Eden might have nothing to do with this magical world at all. Due to some bizarre things like having two moons in the sky and people were able to perform magecraft, it's safe to assume that he had ended up stranded in a completely different world where Assassins and Templars, along with their never-ending feud never existed at all.

For the time being, Ezio had to act according to the role that was given to him; a familiar spirit for Louise. Being around the pink-haired girl, however, was quite difficult than he had anticipated due to her constant anger burst, but it wasn't the girl's fault to begin with. Being called as a failure by her peers sure was hard for her. Her inability to cast any kind of spells properly didn't help either. Ezio couldn't help but to feel sorry for the girl.

"That stupid bimbo…" Louise growled as she walked to the courtyard, followed by Ezio. "I'll show her that there's something I can do!" she shouted. Ezio figured that the bimbo his master was referring to was a certain busty red-haired girl named Kirche.

Earlier, at the class, once again, Louise ended up failing to cast a simple spell. A spell that supposed to levitate her in the air became a massive explosion that incapacitate most students in the class, Louise included. She ended up having some burn marks on her face but luckily there were some healers to heal those wounds. Her pink hair ended up singed a bit though.

"Louise, as someone older than you, I have to say that you should try harder…" Ezio said in his Italian accent, trying to give his master a piece of advice. Louise quickly turned around and glared at the assassin's face (his face wasn't hidden under his hood, coincidentally), but seconds later, the girl sighed.

"It's easier for you to say," Louise said. Her face looked sad. "Like I told you before, I always ended up failing when I tried to use magic…"

Ezio couldn't help but to feel sorry for the pink-haired girl. The girl tried so hard but in the end, she was proven talentless in casting magic. It reminded him of some of his apprentice back at Roma. A few of them were talentless in performing assassination and free-running, but they tried and struggled nonetheless. It was hard for him, so after they were proven talentless, Ezio asked them to return to their mundane, ordinary lives as citizens.

"Do not feel too bad, Louise," Ezio smiled, patting the girl's head. She gasped as Ezio's warm hand touched her pink head. "Everyone can make their choice. It's not like you have to end up as a mage, right? Don't be too hard for yourself, okay?" he tried to sound reassuring.

Louise's cheeks reddened as she heard Ezio's reassuring tone. She felt grateful to hear such thing, but her pride as a noble didn't allow her to feel good with it, so she immediately brought up her hand, pushing Ezio's hand aside roughly. The assassin's frowned.

"Y-you don't understand!" Louise fumed. As a Vallière, becoming anything else other than a mage was an insult to herself. "Don't say like you understand me, you hear?" she cried, making a violent gesture. Then she turned around. "Don't follow me!" she shouted before she walked away, leaving Ezio alone in the courtyard.

"Strange girl…" Ezio muttered before he ruffled his hair. Dealing with the girl was a pain in the ass sometimes. He got no trouble waking her up and washing her clothes and undergarments, but her anger problem was even greater than someone she knew back at Roma. "Well, I guess she will turn out fine soon," Ezio smiled before he gazed up, looking at the sky. It was already evening. "Since there is nothing I can do right now, maybe I should look around," he muttered. Looking for more information regarding this world wasn't hurt, so he decided to walk around.

While he was walking around the academy, he looked at some of the students who were doing their own businesses. Sometimes, they threw a glance at him before resuming their businesses, deeming the assassin as someone insignificant to them. Considering Ezio's inability to use magic, they thought the assassin as a mere commoner. Ezio didn't mind that much, though. Being deemed insignificant also helped him to make investigations about the world, making it easier. As he walked around, he spotted someone, a girl who was smaller than Louise, but was bespectacled and blue-haired.

Tabitha, that's her name. Ezio came to know her name after three days hanging around the academy. The blue-haired girl seemed to have some kind of mysterious aura around her. Unlike Louise, who always seemed to burst out in anger anytime, Tabitha was calm and quiet, and Ezio never saw the girl spoke any word. She also seemed to be a somewhat a friend of Kirche, that red-haired busty girl. Tabitha was seen sitting near a fountain, reading a hard-covered book. Her wooden staff was placed beside her.

"I wonder what kind of book she is reading…" Ezio muttered before he winced. His left hand felt hot, like being scorched in flame. The pain numbed his mind and he could hear the sound of something ringing in his head. He closed his eyes, trying to suppress the pain before he reopened them, but he was surprised as he looked around after reopening his eyes.

His surroundings lost their colors. His world had become a monochromatic dimension and the people around him seemed to emit light with colors he seemed to be familiar with. He realized that he had activated his Eagle Vision, an innate ability which he inherited from his ancestors. He blinked, seemingly confused by his sudden activation of his miracle eyes. While his Eagle Vision was still active, he turned to look at the blue-haired girl who was sitting near the fountain, and once again, he gasped in shock.

Unlike others, which were colored blue, Tabitha was colored red. Ezio immediately deactivated the Eagle Vision as Tabitha raised her face, looking at the assassin's direction. Tabitha looked at Ezio's face for a while, tilting her head before she returned back to read her book.

"That girl…" Ezio continued to look at the girl. "She is a spy…"

He shook his head.

"No, this is not my problem," Ezio said to himself. Even though his Eagle Vision showed him the truth behind the girl, he shouldn't involve himself into this world's matter. His eyes were never wrong in showing him the allegiance of people around him, and it was true to the creed of the Brotherhood itself; nothing is true; everything is permitted. Through his vision, the girl was an enemy and in near future, the girl might endanger anyone in this place, including Louise. Due to that, Ezio decided to watch over her.

* * *

><p>It was almost an hour before Tabitha finished reading her book. Closing her book, she picked her staff and stood up. It was already dark and the students seemed to return back to the dormitory. Ezio, who was sitting near another fountain, watching over the blue-haired girl who seemed to be a spy according to Ezio's Eagle Vision, stood up before silently following the girl. The darkness also helped the assassin to follow the girl unnoticed.<p>

Despite the advantage of being able to hide within the darkness, it was hard for Ezio to see in the darkness, so he activated his Eagle Vision, following the red glowing silhouette which was Tabitha. If Tabitha looked behind, Ezio would hide behind anything so the girl wouldn't suspect her being followed by someone.

When Tabitha was walking, she stopped abruptly when she arrived at the courtyard. Before Ezio could hide himself, the girl suddenly spoke. "Who are you?" she asked in monotonous tone.

"Crap…" Ezio muttered. He was caught in action. He had to wonder how many times he had to screw everything up while doing something.

Tabitha looked behind, showing Ezio her expressionless face. Her face was devoid of emotion, something that Ezio could feel on himself while performing assassination. That face was a face of an assassin.

Ezio deactivated his Eagle Vision before he fixated his eyes at Tabitha's face. "Let me ask you something," he spoke to the petite blue-haired girl. "Who are you and please tell me what your mission is…" he said. Believing that Tabitha was some sort of spy within the academy, it was a suitable question to ask. He knew that he shouldn't interfere, but thinking that it might cause damage to his new home, he had to act. "Please answer me, Miss Tabitha…" he pulled out his sword.

"…" Tabitha was silent before she closed her eyes. Suddenly Ezio felt a sudden gust of wind before he realized that Tabitha was the one who caused the wind. While he tried to cover his face from the chilling wind, an icicle flew towards him, hitting him right on his right hand that was holding his sword, effectively disarming him. His sword was thrown behind and Ezio was stunned by that.

Before Ezio could recover, Tabitha conjured a dagger made of ice, closing in at such unbelievable speed and attempted to stab the assassin using the deadly icy weapon. But Ezio immediately used his hidden blades under his wrists, deflecting the dagger. Due to the frail nature of the dagger, it shattered into shards of ice. Ezio could feel the cold sensation of the broken pieces of ice on his face.

Tabitha's face looked the same like before; expressionless. As her attempt to take Ezio's life using her ice dagger failed, she immediately moved behind, distancing herself from the assassin. After that, she conjured dozens of icicles in the air before they flew towards Ezio.

Immediately, Ezio jumped behind, picking up his sword before he used it to deflect the icy projectiles from hitting him. He felt lighter than before and his strength seemed to be doubled. Then he realized that the runes that was hidden underneath his glove was glowing and the runes seemed to be giving him power and reflex to deflect the icicle attacks. After he deflected all the icicles, he prepared himself to attack the blue-haired girl before he realized that his sword was already covered in ice, rendering it useless to either stab or cut. Groaning, he tossed the weapon aside. He had to rely on his other weapons.

As Ezio looked at the place where Tabitha was, he found that the girl was not there anymore. Then he felt a sudden chill behind him before he turned around, only to see Tabitha, standing behind him with an ice dagger in her hand, preparing to strike his unprotected back. He never thought something like this could happen. In a blink of an eye, Tabitha had moved behind him, intending to deliver a single stab on his back that might be able to end his life. Hastily, Ezio turned behind and used one of his hidden blades to deflect the incoming dagger. The ice dagger shattered into pieces but his blade was also rendered useless as it was coated with ice after coming into contact with the dagger.

Ezio decided to step behind, thinking for a way to end this battle quickly. He considered using his hidden gun, but the noise that the gun might produce would attract unneeded attention from the people in the academy, so he had to use one of his hidden arsenal; poison. Quickly, he took out a bottle of green liquid from one of his pouch before he coated his remaining hidden blade with the liquid. Even with a slight wound, the poison could be proven fatal.

Tabitha flew towards Ezio with remarkable speed, conjuring another ice dagger in her hand while having some icicles flying towards the assassin. Ezio covered his face with one of his hands as he tried to estimate the time he should make a move onto the blue-haired girl. As the girl was about two meters away from him, Ezio lowered his body before he rushed towards Tabitha, grabbing her hand that was holding the dagger. Tabitha was surprised but it was already too late. Ezio used his poison-coated blade to wound Tabitha's shoulder.

"Uhh…!" Tabitha let out a pained grunt before she produced a gust of wind, stunning the assassin, enabling her to escape the assassin's grab, free from his attacking range. It was just a small wound but as she tried to cast her spells, she immediately felt something strange in her body. "Poison," she mumbled as she placed her hand on her wounded shoulder. She bit her lower lip, trying to battle the pain that was caused by the poison.

Seeing this as a chance, Ezio ran towards Tabitha, tackling her down. The girl's back touched the pavement. Ezio grabbed Tabitha's staff before he tossed it aside, disarming her. Lying helplessly on the floor, incapacitated by the poison, Tabitha could only look in horror as Ezio raised his bladed hand, intending to plant the blade into her throat.

"Sorry to end it this way…" Ezio said forlornly as he raised his hand that had his hidden blade above his head. He was sitting on top of Tabitha, pressing her on the pavement. _"Requiescat in pace,"_ he said before he brought down the blade, aiming to stab the girl on her throat.

But the blade never pierced her throat. As the blade was about three inches away from Tabitha's neck, he felt a sudden pain in his head and his left hand. He immediately stopped his blade before he pulled it back. He placed his hands on his head, pressing it to ease himself from the pain. As the pain began to subside, he found out that his Eagle Vision was activated by itself once again. With the vision, he looked down to see the defeated Tabitha, only to find out that her color was changing from red to blue. It changed constantly into many colors like violet, gold and green before shifting back to red and blue. He froze in his track, unable to comprehend the thing that was happening in front of his eyes.

While he was still confused, Ezio felt like something was approaching both of them from above. He quickly deactivated his Eagle Vision, looking up, only to see a large winged beast that descended from the sky, approaching them in full speed. Knowing that he might get flattened by the beast, Ezio immediately jumped back, leaving Tabitha before the beast crashed on the pavement.

The beast was a blue dragon and Ezio remembered the dragon was Tabitha's familiar spirit. As the dust that was produced by the impact of the dragon's landing subsided, the blue dragon was protecting the injured Tabitha, using its wings to shield her from any harm.

"Sylphid…" weakly, Tabitha spoke before she got up, albeit wobbly. Her face seemed pale due to the poison and her glasses fell on the pavement. Judging from her face, Ezio assumed that the girl didn't have much time left. The poison was designed to cause internal damages in the body, even with a small dose.

Troubled by his Eagle Vision earlier, Ezio decided to look at Tabitha using his Eagle Vision once more. He activated the vision and saw Tabitha as a glowing blue silhouette instead of a red one. It confused him more. Such thing never happened before. He wouldn't know the cause of these changing colors unless he went to ask the girl about it. He stepped forward, thinking of asking the girl a question, but the dragon that stood defensively, protecting its master behind its wings let out a threatening noise.

"Calm down," Ezio said, trying to not anger the beast. "I will not harm your master. I just want to ask her, that's all…" he said.

"Question?" the girl frowned.

"Yes," Ezio nodded. "Believe me. I will not hurt you anymore…" he said, trying to sound reassuring. At first, Tabitha looked skeptical but then, before she could say more to the assassin, she pressed her hand on her chest, feeling an intense pain due to the poison.

The dragon immediately licked the girl's face, trying to ease her pain. Tabitha was trying to breathe properly, but the poison in her body began to numb her body system. She fell on her knees, panting heavily. Beads of sweat began to appear on her forehead as she strained herself to battle the pain.

"Ah, I am sorry…" Ezio apologized before he took out a bottle from his pouch. "It sure is unpleasant, right? Here, I have the antidote. I have not tried it myself, but I am sure it can at least neutralize the poison," he said before he walked towards the girl. He threw a glance at the dragon, reassuring it that he brought no harm to its master. Reluctantly, the dragon stepped aside, giving Ezio the way to the dying Tabitha. Kneeling down, Ezio opened the bottle before he tried to put the antidote into the girl's mouth, but it was hard for him to pour the antidote into her mouth. "Hmm… I guess there is no other way," Ezio said before he put the antidote into his mouth before he tossed the empty bottle aside. Then he drew his face closer to Tabitha's before he pressed his lips on hers.

Tabitha's eyes widened as Ezio kissed her on her lips. Ezio's lips were coarse but at the same time, warm. Then she felt like something was flowing into her mouth, something bitter. Then it flowed down into her throat before she finally swallowed it. After that, Ezio pulled back his head before he wiped his lips.

"I guess that does it," Ezio said, smiling before he stood up, lifting Tabitha with both his hands. Because of Tabitha's small stature and light weight, it wasn't hard for Ezio to lift the girl. In fact, he used to lift people heavier than her back in his world. "I'll let you rest for a while. If you're feeling better, I'll ask you question. Is that acceptable?" he asked. Tabitha nodded weakly while trying to hide her reddened face. Then Ezio looked at the dragon, Sylphid. "You will follow, right?" he asked the dragon. After staring at the assassin for a while Sylphid reluctantly nodded. "Good. Now, let's go."

* * *

><p>"Feeling better now?" asked Ezio to Tabitha. Both of them were sitting near a fountain. Sylphid was resting near Tabitha. "If you are, then will you please answer my question?"<p>

Tabitha stared into Ezio's face for a while before she said in low voice. "I'll try…"

"Who are you?" Ezio asked. He was expecting the girl to answer his question, but the girl remained silent. Her face showed that she couldn't tell Ezio such thing. "Ah, I see. It is alright," he said understandingly. "I will not ask you that, but please answer this question. Why are you here for?" he asked.

Tabitha was silent for a moment before she answered it simply. "Mission…"

"I see…" Ezio mused. "Another question," he said. "What kind of mission?"

"…" Tabitha didn't answer the question.

"Well, are you willing to hurt others to complete your mission?" Ezio asked again. Tabitha didn't answer that as well. "Even innocents?" he continued. This time, Tabitha shook her head. Ezio smiled, knowing that in the end, Tabitha wasn't someone dangerous. He activated his Eagle Vision to look at her color. This time, her color was constantly blue, showing him no threat or danger. Sighing in relief, he deactivated the vision. "Tabitha, I am sorry for doubting you. It was I who was suspicious about you and you almost die because of me. I am sorry for that," he said as he ruffled Tabitha's blue hair. The girl let out a cute yelp.

Then, Ezio noticed the book in Tabitha's hands. It was the book that she read at the evening. Noticing that Ezio was looking at the book in her hands, Tabitha stared into Ezio's face before she tilted her head in confusion.

"You really like reading, no?" Ezio said.

"…" Tabitha looked down before she replied; "Yes…" she nodded.

"Well, it is already late," Ezio said, looking up at the night sky. "I have to return to my master's side by this time. But, I wish we can see each other again so you can tell me about the book you are reading, Tabitha. Will you tell me that?" he asked.

"Yes, I will…" Tabitha replied, and this time, she gave Ezio a small smile.

"Good," Ezio smiled. "Promise?" he asked.

"Promise," Tabitha nodded. Then, she stood up, with some assistance from Ezio because her body hadn't fully recovered from the effect of the poison earlier. She leaned on her familiar's body before she looked at Ezio's face. "Thank you," she said, bowing. "See you soon," she climbed up on her familiar, riding it before Sylphid ascended up to the air, flying up to the sky with Tabitha on its back.

"Well, I should get back to Louise…" Ezio muttered.

…

"Where have you been, familiar?" Louise asked Ezio, glaring right on his face. Both of them were in Louise's room. She was crossing her arms on her chest, trying to appear mighty in front of the assassin. Judging from her expression, it was safe to assume that she was extremely pissed. "Are you forgetting your role as my servant, huh?" she asked.

"Well…" Ezio awkwardly scratched the back of his head. It felt strange to be treated like that by a young girl. "You did tell me to not follow you, am I wrong?"

"Don't talk back to me like that, familiar!" Louise snapped. "As a punishment, no food for a week!" she told Ezio before she studied his face. Then, she saw something on his face, appropriately on his cheek. There was a small red gash on it. "Wait, what happened to your face?" she asked, pointing at Ezio's cheek.

"My face?" the assassin touched his cheek and felt something wet. He looked into his palm and saw a red stain on it. Then he remembered his encounter with Tabitha earlier. It might because of the shards of broken ice dagger. He didn't feel it because it's just a small wound. "Ah, I got blood on my face. What is wrong with that, Louise?" he asked.

"Geez…" Louise sighed before she took out a small piece of cloth and used it to wipe the blood. "You got yourself wounded and didn't realize it. Really, what happened to you?" she asked.

"Hmm… I fell while chasing some cats that stole my bread," Ezio lied. "There is nothing to worry though," he grinned.

"You're really reckless, Ezio…" Louise sighed again. This time, instead of calling him 'familiar', she called him by his name. "Press it on your wound," she said, asking her familiar to press the small piece of cloth on his wound to stop the bleeding. "I'll go to search for something to cover the wound. Heh, I wish I can heal like Montmorency…" she sighed before she went to search for a bandage.

"Heh, after all, my master is indeed a gentle person…" Ezio smiled.

"Did you say something?" Louise asked.

"Nothing at all, master…" Ezio replied.

"Ezio," Louise said, coming to him as she treated the wound on his cheek. "T-tonight, you can sleep with me on the bed," she said, averting her gaze after applying the bandage on Ezio's cheek. "I-I mean, it's not wrong at all, right? You're my familiar, so it's not wrong for me to have you sleeping with me on my bed for tonight!" her cheeks were awfully red. "Please don't get it wrong! It's not like I want you to do it! It's just that you're injured! Sleeping on the floor while injured isn't good for your health!"

"Are you being nice to me, Louise?" asked Ezio teasingly. "I am moved…"

"Idiot," Louise turned behind, pouting. Ezio couldn't help but to laugh. He touched his cheek that got a plaster stamped neatly on it. Really, Louise could be nice if she tried to be that.

**To Be Continued**

Next Chapter: Ardent

* * *

><p>Author's Note: Finally, after oh so many days, I managed to update this story. Thank you for those who reviewed the last chapter. I am grateful for that. I hope you will like this chapter. Instead of the usual 'VS Guiche' scenario, I preferred an alternative one, which is 'VS Tabitha' which was never done before in any stories. Actually, the kissing scene is added at the last moment. With this updated, I still think that I have some mistakes here and there, but please forgive me if you detect them. I'll try my best to fix them as soon as I detect them. Last but not least, read and review.<p>

Prince Arjuna (2011)

Nothing is true; everything is permitted.


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